“Bartleby, the Scrivener” is an interesting short story written by Herman Melville for Putnam magazine at a time when Melville needed money (Davis 183). The narrator opens with a description of himself, his employees, and the fact that his business has recently grown. Soon after, the narrator, who is a lawyer, hires an additional employee named Bartleby, the story's namesake. He then proceeds to tell the reader everything he knows about Bartleby: how he began to copy as he wished; how he then “preferred not” to carry out the tasks that were asked of him; how he was eventually fired but refused to leave, even when the lawyer moved his firm; how he was put in prison; and how he starved while incarcerated. The narrator closes the story with the rumor that Bartleby had previously been employed at the Dead Letter Office and that he, the narrator, feels pity and sympathy for Barleby's "poor soul" (Melville). After reading the narrative for the first time, the reader feels the same sympathy, but there is also some confusion. What did Wall Street do to Bartleby to make him act that way? Could the lawyer have done anything to help him? Was the lawyer the cause of Bartleby's actions? Who was the protagonist; was it Bartleby or the narrator? While I too have many questions about Bartleby, I have found the answer to at least one and have chosen to share it with you. Bartleby is not the protagonist, as many believe. Rather, it is the lawyer, the narrator of the story, who the reader should be rooting for. First of all, the lawyer is the narrator of the story, and although he focuses much of the story on Bartleby, we know more about him than we do. we make Bartleby through his actions and thoughts. ...... middle of the paper ...... him more than any other character in the story; all those characters are simply his interpretations; and it is he who experiences the conflict between earthly and divine conventions. Therefore, Bartleby is the antagonist of this narrative. Little is known about him; the reader only knows the interpretation given by the narrator; and he is the cause of the conflict. Although many scholars look at this question in different ways, now at least you know the answer to one important question: the lawyer is the protagonist. Works Cited Davis, Todd F. “The Narrator's Dilemma in 'Bartleby the Scrivener': An Excellently Illustrated Reformulation of a Problem.” Studies in short fiction. 34.2 (1997): 183-192. Network. February 15, 2014. Melville, Herman. "Bartleby, the scribe." Literature to go. Ed. Michael Mayer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2011. 101-129. Press.